Riff Raff
by mebbesumday
Summary: In an alternate universe where Kurt is accepted as a teenage gymnastics star while Kitty is forced to fight in the streets to survive, will the two still find friendship and love in each other? Without mutant powers, one can't help but wonder if our heroes will still be able to save the tiny town of Bayville.
1. Chapter 1: Street Cat

Chapter 1: Street Cat

_In an alternate universe without mutant powers, Bayville is a small town drowning in vice, from petty gangs like The Brotherhood, to the sturdy crime ring of The Acolytes, to guns for hire, and a police force drenched in corruption, led by Sheriff Kelly. As though a curse were hovering over the area, hardly anyone manages to leave come adulthood. There were only a three ways to earn yourself a permanent trip out of town alive. _

_ One: Live on one of the few streets lucky enough to be on the right side of the literal train tracks. Bayville may have been a town with a population of under three thousand, but the hundred houses in middle class paradise wasn't enough to keep the slums at bay._

_ Two: Earn yourself a full scholarship to a university that was as far away as you could get. Being smart, fast, or strong wasn't enough to keep you in college. Even if you were the brightest student or the greatest athlete, if you were like most of the impoverished citizens in town, you weren't paying for college unless your family planned on starving for your education._

_ Three: Show your worth to Acolyte leader Erik "Magneto" Lehnsherr and earn a ring name for yourself by partaking in yearlong matches of strength and cunning, called Fight Nights. With simple rules that kept violence heated, a reasonable sum of money was given to the victor of each Fight Night by one of the crime lord's lackeys. For decades, many a young man, and a few hardened young women joined in to have a taste of what seemed to be rowdy fun, and perhaps earn enough to put more food on the table. But at the end of each school year, before the summer heat took its toll on all the citizens of Bayville, Erik Lehnsherr held an organized tournament, callously deemed The Apocalypse for its sheer brutality. Taking place every night for a week at Acolyte headquarters, those who proved themselves worthy of an invitation at the yearlong Fight Nights were pitted against each other, round after round. The winner of the final bout was given their choice of spoils - a lump sum of one thousand dollars or the possibility of endless riches among Lehnsherr's Acolyte ranks. While many entered the ring with only the desire to feed their families in their hearts, few could resist the alluring promises of the infamous Magneto._

_ But not all is lost. In a town struggling to stay afloat, good souls do still remain. The gruff but kind hearted Officer James "Logan" Howlett who protects the innocent with a fierce hand and the wise ice cream shop owner Charles Xavier will play their part in this story, as will many of their friends. _

_ Our story begins only months away from The Apocalypse, as this universe's incarnations of two kindred spirits meet for the very first time - an event that will change their lives and the face of Bayville forever._

* * *

"Well look what the cat dragged in!" A loud voice crooned and Kurt groaned when he felt two fingers pinch his cheek.

"Don't try and be punny, Tabitha. My name isn't Catty anyway," he heard another girl's voice growl, further away.

"Kitten doesn't sound as good," the first voice said nonchalantly. Someone ruffled his hair. "Where'd you find cutie-pie anyway?"

Okay, where the hell was he.

Kurt's eyes snapped open as he shot straight up on the couch where he'd been laying. _Uh-huh_, he thought as he took in his strange surroundings,_ I am obviously not at home_. There was an older grinning girl with short blonde hair standing over him and a ponytailed brunette scowling at him from across the room at a dilapidated kitchen table. There was also a kid peeking at him from behind a rundown doorway. His head was spinning. How did he -

"_Gah_," Kurt spluttered and clutched at his left eye. It was tender and puffy and it was giving him a headache.

"Ooh ooh ooh! Where'd ya score the do?" The Tabitha girl grabbed his chin while he grimaced and tilted his head this way and that, looking over his long, navy blue hair. "Should I call you Wild Blue Yonder for taking that punch for our kitty cat?"

_Taking a punch?_ Kurt shook the loud blonde girl's hand off. Something was coming back to him...

Suddenly the small brown-haired girl swore, shoved the giggling blonde aside, and sat on the wobbly coffee table in front of him. She glared at him with such intensity that he scooted further back into the cushions. _Big blue eyes, button nose, pretty pink lips, and all the ferocity of a tiger_, Kurt thought as he eyed the thin girl.

"Up here, big guy," the girl snarled and roughly jerked his chin up so that he was looking her straight in the eyes. "Not much to look at down there, and I'd appreciate if you'd keep your eyes to yourself either way."

_Oh, she thought I was looking at her boobs._ Kurt wouldn't admit it out loud, but he'd only looked down to avoid having to look at that terrifying stare of hers. And it was rather terrifying, even coming from a tiny thing like the brunette. So Kurt did what he always did when something scared him. Or when anyone talked to him for that matter. He made a lame joke.

"Hey, hey, big, small, I don't discriminate," Kurt grinned cheekily and shrugged his shoulders. The girl's eyes blazed with fury at his little gag.

"_You_. You see _this_?" The girl's ponytail swung around in fury as she shook a needle and thread in his face and then used the same hand to gesture to a newly stitched wound near her left shoulder. The gash was deep enough to cause bleed and cause pain, but shallow enough so that it wasn't a terrible cause for worry. "_This_ is what happens when a _stupid_ blue-haired boy steps in front of me in a one-on-one! _This_ is what happens when _you_ mess around in _my_ fights! And no one, _NO ONE_, gets involved in _KITTY PRYDE'S FIGHTS_!"

Kurt's eyes widened and it all came back to him in a flash.

_He'd been walking home from the ice cream shop on the other side of the tracks when he saw a semicircle of people cheering in an alleyway. He intended to hurry past it - he was pretty sure it was just a bunch of kids causing trouble - when he heard the labored grunts of a girl coming from the circle. He backtracked quickly and ran towards the scene in worry._

_ The cheering seemed to be elicited by a larger-than-life male with a blonde Mohawk taking huge swings at a tiny brown haired girl. The girl's grunts were obviously from the rapid ducking and weaving she was forced to do in her situation. She seemed to be landing a punch or a kick every now and then. But then one of the man's huge fists connected with the girl's leg and she went flying!_

_ Before she could pick herself up, Kurt dashed to her side and glared at the bigger man. _

_ "What're you doing?" He'd shouted breathlessly, not quite sure what he'd gotten himself into. He sized the huge dude up. It'd been a long time since his last fist fight. "Picking on a little girl make you feel like the big man in town?"_

_ "Little girl?" Kurt whirled around and couldn't believe it. The ponytailed chick was back on her feet already, fists in front of her face. "Out of the way, blue boy!"_

_ "Wha-" Kurt stared at her incredulously. "I'm trying to help you!"_

_ Suddenly he felt himself lifted off the ground by the scruff of his shirt. The offending hand turned him around in time to see the enormous man's other fist winding up for another hit._

_ "Think Shadowcat's tryin' to tell you she don't need any," the gigantic man sneered._

_ SMACK!_

_ "Put him down, Blob!" The girl's shouts, a slash of flesh, and an anguished cry were the last thing Kurt heard._

_ Then darkness._

"You owe me a lot of money," the girl he now knew as Kitty Pryde jolted him out of his memories with a low whisper. "That was supposed to be my _last_ Fight Night. Enough prize money to pay off my debts _and_ to get Bobby a present for his birthday."

The girl's voice was a strangled gurgle at the mention of the boy's birthday. She looked strangely desperate for a moment and Kurt almost wanted to reach out and hug her. But as he made a motion towards her, the fire returned to her eyes. He saw her wind up for a hit, and Kurt Wagner prepared himself to be punched in the face for the second time that night.

"No! It's okay, Kitty, I don't need anything!" A tiny boy with a mop of mouse brown hair suddenly materialized in front of him and threw his arms around Kurt's neck. "_Please_ don't hurt him, Kitty. We don't even have to get cake or anything if we can't afford it!"

Kitty's eyes softened at the sight of the child and she quickly withdrew her fist.

"He didn't know! He was just trying to help!" The kid buried his little head into Kurt's chest and he sounded like he was about to cry. The blue-haired teen patted the boy's shoulders, still unsure of exactly what was happening here. "_Please _don't hurt him, Kitty. _Please_."

Kitty smiled gently at the tyke and swept him up in a bear hug.

"Now, Bobby, you know you're supposed to be in bed. You have school tomorrow," the once ferocious tiger had suddenly melted into a motherly housecat. She smiled, tweaking the little boy's nose. Then, after kissing his forehead, she handed Bobby off to Tabitha, who had been watching the scene, uncharacteristically quiet, from a corner with an amused look on her face. "Big sis Kitty just needs to talk to him about something, okay? Now go along with big sis Tabitha. She'll read your bed time story and I'll come inside to say goodnight in a bit."

"Okay," the child finally conceded after a moment's thought. He looked at all three of the older people in the room with nothing but trust in his doe-wide eyes, and Tabitha playfully mussed his hair as she carried him away to his bedroom, telling him what a brave boy he was.

Kurt watched, puzzled, while the fierce Kitty Pryde tilted her head to the side and smiled tenderly as she watched the four disappear behind the doorway. She was definitely an interesting character. _Pretty cute too_. He contemplated as he continued to stare thoughtfully. _When she's not scowling_.

As if she had heard his thoughts, Kitty's eyes snapped towards him in a livid glower.

"You and I have some business to talk about, Kurt Wagner," she stabbed him sharply in the chest with a pointed finger.

_Aaaaaand now it's over_. Kurt mentally rolled his eyes. _Wait, did she...?_

"How the hell do you know my name?"

* * *

"And for the life of me I couldn't figure out why _you_ were his hero," Kitty waved a hand in the air lackadaisically as she walked lightly beside Kurt on his way home. "And then I realized..."

"Vhat? That this dude is _dripping_ vith _awesome_?" Kurt smirked teasingly at the girl in her less scary state and gave a thumbs up to his chest.

The atmosphere had cleared between the two ever so slightly, and Kurt only had to suffer through a scoff and an irritated frown from the girl.

_Kitty had completely ignored his question about how she knew his name and informed him that she would be escorting him home because he was obviously as capable of staying out of trouble as "a dog in a chew toy store." She'd disappeared for a moment to kiss Bobby goodnight. When Tabitha had jokingly whined about not receiving hers, Kitty dragged Kurt out the door and slammed it shut behind her. _

_ She promptly began to berate Kurt for interfering in what she explained was a one-on-one Fight Night, an ongoing tournament that was held on the literal other side of the tracks. She made clear the trouble she'd had to go through to keep him alive, including forfeiting the match. The rules were clear and simple. First thing first, anything goes but try not to kill anyone or send them to the hospital. If you did, you'd be spending whatever prize money you won on paying off the cops for a cover up. Unfortunately, the irritated crowd hadn't seemed to mind doing so as long as they could dispose of the blue-haired boy that had disturbed their brawl. So after being swiped at by a pocket knife as she stood protectively in front of him, Kitty had followed the second rule - if you'd had enough, bow with your knees, hands, and head to the ground. Then the match would end and you'd be out. _

_ "No help in one-on-ones or it's a free-for-all. Hear that? So leave the fighting to those of us who can take a hit, chauvinist pig," she'd growled. _

_"Calling me fat? I think that's a bit uncalled for," he'd said jokingly before becoming defensive. "It's not like that, Kitty. I'm not some random chauvinistic pig for thinking I was helping to keep someone from being beaten to death. It's common human decency!"_

_ "Don't believe in it," Kitty had spat back in his face._

_ "Really?" Kurt drawled and stretched the word out in a chiding challenge. "So you kept those guys from slicing me to pieces and dragged me all the way back to your apartment all on your lonesome to what? Eat me for dinner?"_

_ Kitty shot him a dagger-filled glare as if to warn him not to push his luck._

_ "Leaving idiots to die on the streets could infect the rest of us," she finally retorted, less angry, after a short bout of silence._

_ He couldn't help but chuckle to himself when she quickly changed the subject to how she couldn't understand why her little brother Bobby idolized him. _

"Hold. Did you just speak with an _accent_?" Kitty looked at him, thrown.

"Huh?" Kurt suddenly realized he'd fallen into old habits. "Oh. English isn't exactly my first language. I mean, I've been speaking it since I was a kid, but you know... Double-you's. Haha. Old habits die hard." He chuckled sheepishly at his slip up.

"Oh," Kitty nodded as though she found that to be a sufficient answer. "Well no, _that_ obviously isn't the case."

"Why then?"

"Because the famous gymnast extraordinaire, covered on the news five times in the past six months because he's training for the Olympic trials, lives on the _right_ side of the tracks _Kurt Wagner_ has a chance of getting out of this godforsaken little town," Kitty said in one breath. "In a tiny place like Bayville, you'd have to have your head stuffed in the ground to not know who _you_ are. Even Tabitha does, though she hasn't called anyone by their _real_ name in years. Bobby's even got half a mind to become a gymnast himself, but we haven't got the money or the car to send him into the city for lessons."

"Oh..." Kurt shifted uncomfortably. Even after a year and a half in Bayville, he still wasn't used to being recognized by people he didn't know. And it made him feel terrible that the thin girl walking beside him had so much less than he did. "I guess that's how you know my name?"

"That and I've been going to the same high school as you since you moved here," she tossed her ponytail matter-of-factly and quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Huh..." The blue-haired boy struggled to remember if he'd ever seen her face. He didn't pay much attention to the people outside of his group of friends in athletics, and he hardly got out between school, sleep, and training in the city. "So why do you do this Fight Night stuff anyway? I'd imagine there are less dangerous jobs out there."

"I've got one of those _less dangerous _jobs too, but it's not enough andI have a debt to pay. And I think you've done quite _enough_ trying to help." The prying question sent the hostility flying back to her voice.

"I... I can help you pay back what I cost you..." Kurt said gingerly. People were usually pretty friendly to him, but apparently he rubbed this Kitty girl the wrong way.

"Look, I don't need any more trouble," Kitty pinched the skin between her eyes and tried to remain calm. Bobby's voice rang in her head - _He didn't know!_ _He was just trying to help! _- and she inhaled deeply, trying to keep herself calm. "It's not your fault that you're an big blue idiot. I guess nature made you that way. It's just that people don't really give out their personal lives to strangers around here, okay?"

Kurt took a deep breath and prepared to make one last bid at friendship with the girl that had saved his life.

"Kurt Wagner, eighteen years old, born in Germany. Learned English at an private boys school and started up gymnastics at the age of four. Moved in with his uncle and sister a year and a half ago when his never-there-anyway parents got themselves killed in a car crash. Had to break up with his girlfriend and everything. Captain of the Bayville gymnastics team, and self declared King of Idiots. Often told he's devilishly handsome and demonically witty. Apparently incapable of talking to women and _especially_ good at screwing up the livelihood of small cats -"

Kitty used her forefinger and thumb to pinch Kurt's lips shut in a duck-like fashion as they took the last step onto his front porch. He looked down to see a glint of humor in the girl's eyes - _and was that a smile?_

"Fwwwns?" Kurt tried to pull off a charming grin and ask if humorously spilling his guts had won him her friendship. As well as he could while he was forced into a duck face, anyway.

Kitty shook her head and rolled her eyes. Even though he towered over her, he was still a little kid on the inside and so much like Bobby. _Well,_ she thought,_ stupider than Bobby_, but she was suddenly having a hard time staying angry at him. His childishness, however lame, was a refreshing change for her. It was rather... sweet. She released his lips with a small pinch that elicited a small _ow_ from the boy.

"No," she shook her head somewhat sadly as the front door swung open to reveal a grisly older man and a young lady with a white stripe running through her tawny bangs. "It just lets me know you were born to be on the _right _side of the tracks."

She had other business to attend to anyway. A brief glimpse of recognition flashed across the eyes of Kurt's relatives when they saw Kitty, too quickly for the crestfallen boy to notice.

"Elf." His Uncle Logan rumbled the nickname he'd given to him when he was a thin, pre-pubescent schoolboy. "Would you like to give me an _explanation_ as to why you're out this late with a nice young _lady_?"

Kurt squeaked in reply, suddenly aware of what the situation looked like at two in the morning. He was saved from further interrogation by being dragged into the house by his sister.

"Oh mah stars, _Kurt_!" His older sister shouted when she saw his bruised, swollen eye. "_What_ did yah _do_?"

"Gah, _Anna Marie_!" Kurt shouted in protest and managed to stutter out a feeble goodbye to Kitty before being hauled off to the bathroom where he was sure his eye and ears would be subjected to stinging disinfectants and scolding words.

Meanwhile, Kitty and Uncle Logan stared at each other in a familiar silence for a few seconds before either said a word.

"Wolverine," she nodded politely to the gruff older man. "How is Rogue?"

"You know I haven't used that name since before you were _born_, half-pint," he grumbled and Kitty winced at the use of the nickname. "And Anna Marie ain't callin' herself _that_ anymore neither."

"I hate it when you call me that," she waved a hand in the air as if to dispel the displeasure the word caused her. "Anyway, my debt to either you or _Anna Marie_ is paid. Pick one, let me know."

The brawny man stared stolidly at the girl that stood in front of him. "You know me and Charles don't like you pickin' up this street business where we left it off."

"The only thing you should be concentrating on is keeping your fuzzy blue nephew safe, _Mr. Logan_," making a reference to Kurt's unique hair color, Kitty tilted her head to the side and grinned, wishing the grizzled cop and his friend the ice cream shop owner would stop worrying about her. "You know we all do what we have to over there."

With a friendly but brusque wave, Kitty spun on her heel and disappeared into the night. When he could no longer see her, Officer James "Logan" Howlett stepped inside and shut the door with a tired sigh.

For now, that was all he could do.

* * *

_Author's Note:__ I do hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Riff Raff. I regret to inform you that I am neither the creative owner of Marvel's X-Men, nor am I one of the X-Men myself. If y'all notice any inconsistencies or have any suggestions, feel free to point them out. I also hope the use of italics for time displacement and thoughts is okay. _

_Best,_

_MebbeSumday _


	2. Chapter 2: I Don't Buy That

Chapter 2: I Don't Buy That

Kurt's friends watched, amused, as the blue haired boy animatedly explained the events of the past night.

"She's scary as hell, but so kind at the same time, and she's got these beautiful blue eyes that sparkle and... and I just can't stop thinking about her!" Kurt exclaimed, clutching the sides of his head and grinning wildly.

"Man, you sound like you're about to start worshipping her footsteps. This isn't like you," Evan Daniels held his skateboard at his side and pushed his tray along in the lunch line. "Since when do you care about girls?"

Kurt pinched his cheeks as if to make sure he was awake. "I know, I know, I'm usually too busy to even look at them. But... Guys, I haven't felt this way since I had to leave Amanda in Germany."

"Well it sounds like she's bad news to me," Scott Summers pushed his trademark dark red sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. "Fight Night isn't exactly something you want to get involved in. Especially since you've already got yourself a black eye."

"I don't know, Scott," Jean Grey placed a gentle hand on Scott's upper arm. "I'm a teacher's aide in Kitty's physics class, and I have gym with her too. And she's never been anything but sweet to me."

"See, Jean agrees! Scott, Evan, I know I just met her, but it just feels right!" Kurt gestured wildly and pleaded with his older brother figure and close friend.

"Or maybe you're just female-starved from spending too many late nights on the parallel bars," Evan teased and nudged Kurt with his skateboard. Kurt retaliated by introducing his friend's face to a spoonful of mashed potatoes.

Meanwhile, Kitty Pryde was facing her own problems.

"I meant what I said, Lance," Kitty walked quickly past a square shouldered boy dressed in a black T-Shirt with a vest thrown on top and ripped blue jeans.

Lance "Avalanche" Alvers had, to the surprise of everyone, actually bothered to show his face at Bayville High. He followed Kitty to a cafeteria table and leaned with two hands on the table.

"They wouldn't treat you like that if you'd just listen," he stated. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Don't you ever, like, quit?" Kitty's crashed her lunch tray to the table and sat down in a huff. "Were you even _there_ last night?"

She shoved a spoonful of lukewarm spaghetti into her mouth and her blood boiled over what had happened after she left Kurt's house yesterday.

* * *

_Kitty cried out in distress as she was slammed against a wall by a lanky white-haired boy. She narrowed her eyes both in pain and annoyance and snarled. No one was going to hear her anyway - it was three in the morning by the time she'd made it to The Brotherhood house and a raucous party was still far from over. Half the people here would be too intoxicated to be of any help anyway. _

_ "Hands off, Pietro," Kitty kicked him squarely in the chest. He dropped her and spluttered._

_ She was off. A short, slimy fellow made a grab for her. She leaned back, waiting until he was off balance. Then Kitty seized his wrist. Pulling downwards, she sent him to the ground. She dodged a girl dressed in punk red clothing and hurtled up the stairwell with the huge blonde man that had given Kurt his black eye hot on her heels. Kitty made a dash for the bedroom door, third on the left. She rattled the doorknob and gave it a shove, toppling into the room and landing on her injured shoulder. _

_ "Call. Off. Your goons. Lance," she panted and winced. She had been lucky this time. Kitty was strong and fast, but she wasn't stupid. Three young men and a hard-edged girl would be more than a match for her. It wasn't often that she paid The Brotherhood house a visit, but most of its permanent residents seemed to have it out for her, so whenever she had to step foot in the decrepit dwelling, she came prepared to run. _

_ "Kitty!" A wide-eyed Lance Alvers leapt up from the seat where he'd been watching TV. He scrambled to help Kitty up from her position on the carpet. "Holy shit, what happened to you?" _

_ "The same thing that happens every time I come here," Kitty grumbled darkly and looked to the doorway. After a few seconds of hearing footsteps pounding up the stairs, the rest of The Brotherhood leadership appeared in the entryway. _

_ "Guys!" Lance roared at his housemates upon making the connection. "I told you not to touch her. You know Kitty, it's not like she's never been here before! You're only supposed to throw out -"_

_ "Why don't you relax a little, boss," Pietro spat. The white-haired boy smirked unpleasantly and thumbed off a little blood at the corner of his mouth. "We were just messing around. Kitty knows it would've been much worse if we meant anything by it." He raised his eyebrows meaningfully at the girl, smirk still intact._

_ "Yeah, Lance, we didn't mean her no harm," Todd Tolansky brushed his greasy bangs away from his forehead and touched arm of a girl with cropped red and black hair. "Ain't that right, sweetums?" Wanda shook the boy's hand off in disgust and left the room with a swish of her red trench coat._

_ "We let her off easy for what she did! She even had help in our match tonight!" Fred Dukes pointed an accusing finger at Kitty, who recoiled._

_ "What?" Lance gaped at Kitty, both in shock and in worry._

_ "It wasn't like tha -" _

_ "Suuuuure it wasn't," Pietro cut in and leaned against the doorframe. "Go on, Lance, why don't you ask your little housecat what happened at Fight Night?"_

_ Lance looked at Kitty, and then back at Pietro, Todd, and Fred. He frowned._

_ "Everyone out," he finally barked an order. "I'll handle this."_

_ Pietro led the group out with a grating cackle and shut the door behind them. Lance massaged his temples while Kitty tucked a stray hair behind her ear in an uncomfortable silence._

_ "It's getting real hard to take care of you, Kitty," Lance sighed. "Everyone on this side of town has to either join up or pay up for Brotherhood protection, and I can't make that exception, not even for you." _

_ "I didn't ask you to do anything like that," she retorted. "I just came to reassure you that Tabitha's deserter fee will be paid in full next Fight Night. And I don't want any trouble about it." _

_ "Boom Boom? You're worried about her?" Lance threw his hands up in the air, exasperated. "Kitty, you've been at this for years! The only reason you and the kid are safe is because she's still with us. And you want to fight five times a week to pay for that privilege to be taken away?_

_ "And there's rules, Kitty," he rubbed his forehead. "There's always a penalty, and bringing in an extra pair of fists to a tournament the Acolytes run isn't going to be taken lightly. Creed was there, and he'll tell his boss. Now, I'll take care of everything, but that's an extra five hundred dollars on your head. Due when Tabitha's fee is." _

_ Kitty paled and dropped her jaw._

_ "Rules?" She seethed, clenching her fists. "You never obey the law and you say you have rules? There's no way I can get five hundred dollars before the end of the year!" _

_ "Just because you think we're all hoods doesn't mean we don't have our own rules!" Lance hollered in reply. "And if I don't enforce them, that's on my head!"_

_ Kitty glowered at him and Lance took a deep breath. _

_ "Look, you've got a few months before The Apocalypse to fight in the little matches before things get too serious. You know I don't like you doing that anyway. Or..." Lance placed his hands on Kitty's shoulders and slowly dragged them down to her fingertips. He looked at her earnestly. "I'd really like you to reconsider joining The Brotherhood. It'd keep you safe and..." He smiled hopefully. "And I could take care of you. Tabitha and Bobby too. I really would, Kitty."_

_ Kitty tore her hands from his._

_ "You do what you have to do, Lance," She scowled as she stalked out of the room. "I'd rather take my chances in The Apocalypse. You'll get your money either way."_

_ Kitty hastened out of the house, and true to her ring name, disappeared into the shadows, leaving a disheartened Lance knocking his head against the wall. If she had stayed just a bit longer, Kitty would have heard an interesting exchange between him and his second-in-command. _

_ "We all know you want to chase a certain little kitty cat up a tree, boss," Pietro materialized next to Lance and snickered. "But you can only bend the rules of the higher ups so much before you go down with her." _

_ His sneer didn't fade when Lance roughly pinned him to the wall._

_ "You asking me to shake you up?" Lance snarled over the loud music in the living room and drew back his fist. "Because I'm sure that can be arranged."_

_ "Well, you could do that, but it wouldn't get you what you really want, would it?" Pietro tilted his chin down and looked up at Lance with a faux pout on his lips. "Because she's got a little too much pride for lowlifes like you and me, doesn't she?"_

_ Lance relented his grip on Pietro ever so slightly. "What do you mean?" He asked cautiously._

_ "All I'm saying, Lance, is that girls like Kitty don't go for guys like us," Pietro casually shrugged away from the boy and crossed his arms. "Especially when you want her to join a gang like ours while pretty boys like Kurt Wagner rush into fights to protect your kitty cat from us." He clasped his hands against his cheek and batted his eyelashes dramatically. "Unless you wanna, you know, take care of the competition?" He tapped a slender fist against his palm menacingly._

_ "You're insane," Lance shoved his housemate away and stomped up the stairs._

_ "No, you're insane if you think pretty Kitty will want a bad boy without a better incentive!" Pietro stuck his chin in the air and called after Lance._

_ As if in tribute to the boy's ring name, Avalanche, the bedroom door slammed shut so hard that the whole house quaked. Pietro grimaced and spun around, finding himself nose to nose with his sister, flanked by Toad and Blob. _

_ "What do you think you're doing, Pietro," the Scarlet Witch frowned at her brother._

_ "Hey, hey, hey, I'm just trying to take care of him," Quicksilver held up his hands in innocence. "C'mon sis, all of us are the only family we have left." _

_ Like a flash he grabbed Todd and Fred by the elbows. "Let's dance."_

_ After a pause, a suspicious Wanda followed her brother into the noisy crowd._

* * *

Kitty continued shoveling spaghetti and peas into her mouth and washing them down with a small carton of milk. Lance clenched and unclenched his fists in frustration.

"Look, Kitty, I -"

"Oh, uh, Kitty! Hi!" Kurt interrupted Lance from halfway across the cafeteria.

_Great_, Kitty thought, _another face I don't need to see_. But between the guy who was making her life more difficult and the idiot who couldn't stay out of trouble, she'd take the idiot.

"Hi, Kurt," Kitty waved back politely and turned to glare at Lance. "Why don't you get out of here. You're nothing but a hood."

Taken aback, Lance almost looked hurt for a second. Then, with a puckered brow, he angrily leaned in to the table.

"Fine," He murmured, irritated that _hero boy_ had made a sudden appearance. "I'll never be good enough for you anyway." With that he crashed through the cafeteria doors and left campus.

Kurt was eagerly dragging his three friends towards the table where Kitty was eating alone. She recognized Evan and Scott, although she never really talked to the athletic crowd besides the red-haired Jean, who she found to be rather agreeable. In a small town like Bayville, you knew everyone and their second cousin by the time you were old enough to talk. But Kitty made it a habit of keeping to herself anyway.

"Kitty! Fancy seeing you here!" Kurt was grinning from ear to ear and still waving wildly when he sat down in front of her.

"Yeah, fancy seeing you where, like, everyone chokes down cafeteria food, fuzzy elf," Kitty's personal nickname for the blue-haired boy slipped out before she could stop it.

"So you've met Kurt's uncle?" Jean smiled while Evan and Scott said their hellos.

"My hair's not that bad, is it?" Kurt frowned and blew a puff of air that knocked his navy-blue bangs to the side.

"No, the name just sounds right," Kitty reached over to grab Kurt's still waving hand and place it on the table before he could continue making a fool out of himself. She patted his hand gently. "But your motor skills could probably use a little work."

Kurt's cheeks turned various shades of bright pink, causing Evan and Scott to fight back chortles while Jean giggled freely.

"We'll, uh..." Scott coughed to disguise a snicker and took Jean's hand.

"Just leave you two to your own devices, then," Evan finished and the three fled the scene despite Kurt's protests.

"So, tell me something. How is it that you're, like, the biggest athlete in town when you can't stop your hand from waving?" Kitty quirked an eyebrow, amused.

_How is it that after one night where you kept yelling at me, you're the only thing I can think about?_ Kurt thought. He was enjoying the way Kitty talked at school. Less terse, and so much more friendly. He raised his hands to shoulder height and shook them limply in circles.

"Well, ahem, you see, dear Kitty, it's an age-old secret that gymnasts use to keep their wrists loose before practice and competition," he continued the ridiculous exercise and felt his heart skip a beat when Kitty let out a peal of tinkling laughter. "If I stretch during school, it saves me time when I get to the gym in the city."

"Okay, okay, excuse me for thinking you were just being an idiot," Kitty grinned and then looked, concerned, at his still injured eye. "How's your eye doing? It's not going to mess up your routine, is it?"

Kurt gingerly touched the cheekbone below his bruised eye and shrugged. "This? Nah. It would take more than this to take the fuzzy dude out of the game," he struck a heroic pose and then scratched the back of his head nervously, as if remembering something. "How's the... uh... money situation?"

_What he doesn't know can't hurt him_, Kitty thought as she remembered Bobby's words. _He doesn't need any trouble in his world._

"It'll be fine," Kitty waved a hand dismissively. "There'll be other Fight Nights, and - don't look at me like that, I'm not the one with a black eye - I'll get back on my feet in no time. I was planning on getting Bobby a present for today, but rent goes in tonight, plus dinner, and that's that for anything I earned as a waitress this week. We'll just sing him happy birthday."

Kurt looked downwards, ashamed not only that he'd disrupted Kitty's livelihood, but also robbed a kid who couldn't have been older than eight of a birthday present.

"I could get him -"

"Don't worry about it," Kitty held up a hand to silence him. "It's not your problem."

The dismissal bell drowned out Kurt's attempted objection, and Kitty got up to dispose of her trash.

"Well, I've got the rest of the day off for my _less dangerous_ job, and I've gotta ride the bus into the city," Kitty limply rotated one hand at shoulder height, teasing Kurt. "Catch you next time, fuzzy."

"Yeah... Later..." Kurt slumped back in his seat as Kitty walked away and, despite his guilt, couldn't keep his heart from thumping uncontrollably with the anticipation of next time.

* * *

The school day was finally over. After a grueling math test, Kurt made his way to the parking lot so he could drive into the city for practice. Coach McCoy was a patient man, but it wouldn't do to be late again.

"I so owe that kid a birthday present," he mumbled to himself, unlocking his car door. He mentally counted out the money he'd saved from the monthly allowance he was given. His parents had set up a trust fund for him, but until he was twenty-one, Uncle Logan was watching over it. For now, he was given enough for gas money, gymnastics coaching, cell phone bills, rent for his uncle (Kurt had to practically force it on him every month), and the occasional night out. Unfortunately for Kurt, after paying for his necessary expenses, he'd managed to blow the rest of his pocket money on ice cream (_again_) and a set of pirate-themed comic books. It would just have to wait for next month, and he'd get that kid something awesome.

"Mister Kurt! Mister Kurt!"

Speak of the devil. Bobby Drake was sprinting over from the elementary school down the street, his backpack dragging along behind him.

"Hey, Bobby! Happy birthday!" Kurt waved back. "You can just call me Kurt, you know."

"Thanks, Mister- er - Kurt!" Bobby made a mental note and let his mouth run at a million miles per hour. "How's your eye doing? Kitty said that she wouldn't be surprised if you had another black eye because you don't know how to take care of yourself. But that's okay, 'cause she said even though you've lived here for more than a year you must've had your head stuck in the ground like an ostrich because you didn't even know what a Fight Night was, and _everyone_ knows what those are!"

"Uh..." Kurt leaned against his car and stared.

"But when I get big enough, I'm going to be a champ, just like Kitty!" Bobby made a fist and pumped a small arm muscle. "And you know what my ring name's gonna be? Iceman, 'cause I'm cool as ice! You know what a ring name is, right? Kitty has one too - Shadowcat - and she even beats up boys sometimes! I bet she's saving up all that money she wins for college, 'cause Kitty's real smart."

"Um, Bobby," Kurt glanced at his watch. He wanted to talk to the boy more, but he was already going to be late.

"I'm gonna win every match, just like Kitty! And maybe I'll go to college too, but first I'm gonna save up money so I can take lessons and be a gymnast, just like you! And then I'll know how to do all sorts of tricks, and I'll be famous, and then I can buy a biiiiiiiig house for me and Kitty and Tabitha to live in, and they'll stop worrying about me, and I'll travel all around the world, and then maybe one day people will want to be like me and -"

Suddenly Kurt had an idea. Of course, it was so simple, why hadn't he thought of it before? Bobby's dream was to get gymnastics lessons, Kurt owed him a birthday present, and Coach McCoy let him have the gym to himself for an hour or so after practice. The solution was so obvious!

"Bobby," Kurt cut the boy off and squatted down to be eye-level with him. He whipped out his cell phone and snapped it open. "Do you know Kitty's work number?"

"Yeah, why?" Bobby tilted his head to the side, took the phone, and began to dial.

"I need you to let her know you'll be late getting home tonight. Practice can run pretty long sometimes."

* * *

On the far side of town, past the last strip of old, decrepit shops was a massive metal dome, half buried in the ground. Parents ordered their children to stay away from it because the abandoned bomb shelter was from ages ago and could collapse at any moment. Despite this, in a whirl of light blue jeans and a silver muscle shirt, Pietro was headed towards the old structure.

By a stroke of luck, Lance had left the house early this morning, probably to catch a glance at his kitty cat. Pietro darted to the hidden entrance. He knew he wouldn't be able to get in, but there was a security camera there, and he had a message to deliver.

"Well, well, well, Daddy-dearest, looks like I'm not as useless as you think I am," he crossed his arms triumphantly and tilted his chin up, looking straight at the camera. "Soon enough I'm going to have the Rogue's little brother and you'll get what you want. Just watch. You need me. And you need Wanda."

He gave a curt nod and bolted.

* * *

Kurt's hair was swept back in a ponytail as he stepped up to the edge of the mat. He stood there for a moment, chin up, chest out, and eyes straight ahead. Then, with a deep breath, he struck his hands upwards in a wide V-shape and began. One, two, three steps, then up! He leapt into the air and brought his hands to the ground, cartwheeling to the middle of the mat. Then he flipped backwards, touching the ground briefly before hurtling skyward again. A full twist in the air and then down! He landed heavily, nearly at the opposite corner and turned to the side, off balance.

"Ach," he tugged quickly at his hair to tighten the ponytail and stepped to the tape marking the edge of the mat, sticking his hands up in the air again.

Kurt made a dash for the corner he'd just left and somersaulted in the air, grabbing his knees. After a little artistic skip, he again tore away to the other side of the mat, flipping and landing in a push up position. He grinned internally. This was his favorite part.

It was about then that Kitty quietly snuck into the gym. It was deserted, save for a lithe, navy-haired teen and a small brunette child settled into a pit filled with foam cubes. She was about to announce her presence, but was silenced by Kurt's performance. She stared.

From his position on the floor, he began to windmill, faster and faster, like the breakers Kitty sometimes saw on the basketball court near her home. Gracefully, he stopped and went into the splits - Kitty didn't even know guys could _do_ that. Then, ever so slowly, Kurt spread his hands on the ground and lifted himself into a handstand. He held it for a moment and then rolled backwards into a standing position.

_Okay_, Kurt thought to himself. He was in his competition mindset now. He did a softer, less difficult sequence of aerials along the side of the mat and inhaled deeply as he prepared for the dismount. One step, two step, another cartwheel! _I've got it this time_, Kurt thought as he hugged his arms to his chest midair. _A perfect landing. Coach is going to be so proud._

"Kitty!"

_Kitty?_ Bobby's voice cut into his mental congratulations and Kurt lost his concentration at the last second. He landed hard, taking a clumsy step forward to keep himself from landing flat on his face.

"Kitty!" Kurt dusted himself off and watched Bobby hug his sister in greeting. "How was work?"

"Payday's always a good day," she smiled over Bobby's shoulder as she picked him up. "That was amazing!"

"If you want to see amazing, you should see what Bobby learned to do today," Kurt grinned.

Bobby dashed over to the mat with a yelp of excitement and proceeded to do a line of fast, if not perfect cartwheels and a wobbly headstand. He fell to the ground in a fit of laughter.

"He's a natural!" Kurt exclaimed, beaming. Kitty giggled and clapped her hands.

"I always wished that I'd done stuff like this when I was a kid," she smiled with a faraway look in her eyes.

"You wanna try?" Kurt's eyes lit up.

"Uh, noooo," Kitty shook her head and declined. "My feet belong on the ground. I'd probably break my neck."

"C'mon, we'll start with something easy. They showed me this at the circus camp I went to when I was five," suddenly Kurt was lying flat on his back with his legs straight up in the air, in an "L" shape. His head was at her feet and he had a firm grip on her ankles. "Lean over."

"W-what?" A furious blush had made its way across Kitty's pretty peach face. This boy, who'd she'd just met in person yesterday, practically had his head between her legs while he was dressed in nothing more than a black tank top and gym shorts.

"Cat got your tongue?" Kurt tried to be punny and waggled his feet in the air. "Don't be scared. Seriously, you take on guys three times your size, and this isn't nearly as dangerous as that. Just grab my ankles and we'll do a wheel, like they do at the circus. Then I'll teach you how to tuck and roll after a jump on your own."

"Huh? O-ohhh..." Kurt looked up to see a totally flushed Kitty, pink as a flamingo from her forehead to the base of her neck. He wondered how someone who had chosen to take up street fighting as a living could be so terrified of a little roll when it dawned on him.

"Or maybe it's not your tongue that's the problem," he drawled smarmily, grinning like a devil as he sat up and rested his elbows on his knees. "And it's your mind that's in the gutter?"

Bobby let out a snort as Kurt clutched his sides in laughter.

"Shut up!" Kitty took a swing at him with her purse but missed as Kurt resumed his position on the floor.

"Well come on, then, the gym's about to close," he had tears in his eyes from laughing and still grinned cheekily at her. Kitty threw her purse to the side and clutched at his ankles.

"Tuck your head in when you lean over, all right?" Kurt instructed. "Ready? One. Two. Three!"

Kitty closed her eyes and let herself fall forward. The momentum brought her back crashing into the ground. She panicked as Kurt swung over her and she wrestled her ankles away from him, sending him flying into the foam pit her little brother had been playing in a few minutes before.

"Kurt!" She scrambled over to the pit and peered over the edge, pushing down the panic attack that had overcome her moments ago. "Fuzzy elf, I'm so sorry, I -"

"Freaked?" Kurt emerged, still laughing. "It's okay, I think I did the same thing my first time, except my partner got sent flying into a _wall_. It's kind of a weird feeling doing rolls as a team. Maybe when you do them yourself it'll be easier."

Kitty joined in his laughter with a bit of a grimace, glad that her survival instincts hadn't done any permanent damage to the gymnast. "I guess I'm just not made for this fancy out-of-towner stuff like you are, huh?"

"Nah, I don't buy that," Kurt shrugged as he hauled himself out of the foam pit and grabbed his bags.

"What?"

"I don't buy that," Kurt repeated, fishing for his car keys. "I don't know what it is about Bayville's obsession about never leaving town, but if you fight hard enough for something, you can achieve it. So you want a ride home or not?"

Kitty cocked her head to the side and smiled before she accepted. For him, everything was so _simple_. The _world_ was his oyster, and he sincerely believed that it was everyone else's too. It was a terrible motivational speech, really. Just a cliché. It was just that coming from his mouth, it sounded so convincing. Kitty "Shadowcat" Pryde's fight wasn't over yet. Far from it. But for just a moment, the steel casing around her heart melted, and her world seemed to grow just a little bit wider.

* * *

_Author's Note:_ _It is with the heaviest of hearts with which I inform you that I am neither the creative owner of Marvel's X-Men, nor am I one of Marvel's X-Men myself. However, I do hope that you enjoyed the second chapter of Riff Raff. If y'all notice any inconsistencies or have any suggestions, feel free to point them out. Did you notice some lines from the series come into play?_

_Kurt's floor routine was based entirely on Marian Dragulescu's, which can be found on YouTube under the title __Gymnastics Marian Dragulescu - Floor Man__ from __Serdarthomas__'s channel. I debated putting him on the pommel horse after deciding that the rings would probably make his arms too bulky, but floor won out, because I still imagine Kurt to be an amazing acrobat in the circus. Unfortunately, this also puts Kurt in very short shorts, which I do not have an easy time imagining him in. If you want to see the pommel horse routine I was going to have him do, check out Alexander Artemev's routine for Day 1 of the 2008 Olympic Trials. That's some fancy stuff he's got going on there. _

_From personal experience, the rolling circus wheel thing can be a little awkward if you don't know what's going on, but it's pretty fun and easy on a soft surface. Trampoline places like Jumpstreet are pretty good for it, haha._

_For those of you waiting on the next chapter of Charlie, that will hopefully be up soon. But a question - is this story too complicated to follow? Should it be changed and cut down to include fewer members of the X-Men cast? The plotline made simpler? I had planned to rewrite the entire thing, but now I'm not sure._

_Best,_

_MebbeSumday _


	3. Chapter 3: If Only

The past few months had been both a blessing and a curse for young Kitty Pryde. Between work, Fight Nights, and school, the girl was the busiest that she had ever been. Luckily she liked being kept busy. It calmed her nerves, let her know there was still something worth working for.

The blessing, of course, had come to Kitty in the form of blue-haired, wide-eyed, innocent Kurt Wagner. Since Bobby's birthday, the gymnast had made an effort to take Kitty's little brother to the gym with him after school at least three times a week. If Kitty was working her afternoon shift as a waitress at the same time, she would stop by near the end of practice and silently watch as Kurt helped Bobby with his cartwheels, or if the younger boy was tired, ran through his floor routine. Afterwards, he would always make Kitty work on jumping, curling into a ball, and rolling to safety.

"It could be useful in your line of work," Kurt had pointed out matter-of-factly. "If you take a hit, or jump and fall, then BAM! Roll and recover."

His genuine desire to care and charming smile finally won Kitty over. She eventually began to accept his gymnastics lessons and rides home without protest.

That's how it started off - friends.

* * *

It wasn't until Jean invited her over to Kurt's place for a surprise birthday party that Kitty started to think that she might see that fuzzy elf as something more.

She'd panicked after she accepted the invitation, realizing too late that birthday parties entailed presents and that presents required money. She still hadn't managed to scrape together enough cash for Bobby's belated birthday - how was she supposed to purchase something for Kurt?

"What do teenage boys like anyway?" Kitty wailed to Tabitha the day before the party. They'd lived like sisters for so long, and the older girl was one of the people she could always turn to for advice.

The spunky blonde looked away from her client's hair and smiled wickedly at the girl. She gave her hot pink stylist's scissors a twirl and raised her eyebrows twice in quick succession.

"Oh, not like that!" Kitty had scowled, sweeping up hair from the living room floor that also doubled as a salon. This only sent Tabitha into a fit of boisterous laughter. The two loved each other to death, but Kitty was much too serious for her older sister's tastes, and Tabitha much to silly for Kitty's. It was just one of those things they had learned to live with. "Can't you be serious for, like, two seconds?"

"Calm down, kitty cat, I was just kidding," Tabitha dished out a snarky smile as she snipped expertly at her client's dead ends. "You don't have to buy Wild Blue Yonder anything expensive. They always say it's the thought that counts. Isn't that right, beautiful?" Tabitha held out a mirror for her client to inspect her work.

"I would say so, dear..." The woman turned her head left and right and nodded her approval.

"Why don't you go pick weeds?" Bobby poked his head out from behind the door of his bedroom.

Tabitha murmured her agreement to Bobby's idea as she collected her fee, and Kitty turned her eyes upward in thought. It could work. Her rag-tag family had always used the contents of the field behind their apartment as centerpieces during the holidays. There was no reason she couldn't use them now.

They'd all drifted into Kurt's house to set up after school, taking advantage of the fact that the boy always got home late on weekdays. Kitty felt a little out of place, carrying a bouquet of wildflowers and a handmade card in her hands. It wasn't that the wildflowers weren't beautiful or that the card was ugly, but she felt cheap compared to the others. Not only did they each come with well-wrapped presents, they'd also armed themselves with streamers, confetti, and even a store-bought chocolate cake.

"Those are the loveliest flowers I've seen in ages," Jean reassured Kitty as they stepped in through the front door.

Of course there was one other little uncomfortable matter that Kitty had forgotten about in her panic over presents. This wasn't just Kurt's house. It was Logan's and Anna Marie's too.

"If I find so much as one of my beers gone from the fridge, it's your head on the line, Summers," a ghost of a smile graced Wolverine's lips as he half-joked at the oldest boy. "Have fun kids." He snagged his car keys off of the wall and headed for work. He was on night patrol today.

"And ah'm _sure_ you all won't let anyone touch the things in mah room?" Rogue emerged from the stairwell dressed for a date. She stopped for a moment to give Jean a hug, smile at the boys, and give a curt nod to Kitty.

"It's just us, Anna Marie," Jean had chuckled. "Not a full-blown party crowd if you asked me."

With a skip to her step, Kurt's older sister vanished from the house to the sounds of a motorcycle revving its engine. Perhaps the encounter was as awkward for Logan and Anna Marie as it had been for Kitty. They'd hardly spared a glance at her. For that, at least, she was relieved.

Around dinner time, they heard Kurt's car pull up into the driveway. They hid under the kitchen table and shushed each other as they heard the key turn in the lock and Kurt shuffling towards the fridge.

"SURPRISE!" Evan led the yell and caused Kurt to spill soda all over himself in shock. He'd laughed and after changing into new clothes enveloped them all in a giant bear hug.

They'd warmed up leftover lasagna for dinner when Jean announced that it was time for presents. She pulled her gift out from under a tarp over a card table, leaving the rest covered.

"Cool!" Kurt smiled brightly as he unwrapped Jean's present. He held up a model airplane set and the boys admired its features.

Kitty swallowed hard at the sight of the thing. It was a _huge_ package, a blue model plane with a propeller and remote control, all waiting to be assembled. There was _no way_ that thing had been cheap! She excused herself to go to the bathroom and snatched her gift from under the tarp while everyone else was distracted. She stashed them in the medicine cabinet and made her way back.

Scott had given his friend a video game where you fought aliens while Evan had purchased him a set of inline skates. Jean looked suspiciously at the flat tarp over the card table.

"Kitty, didn't you -"

"I -I couldn't get you a present," Kitty waved her hands in front of her face to stop Jean from talking. "Couldn't afford it. I, uh... I'm... sorry. But... Happy birthday?"

Kitty shrugged meekly and an uncomfortable silence filled the room. Kurt's three friends gave her quizzical stares, wondering where her bouquet and card had run off to. Kitty bit her lip. Was that the faintest trace of hurt on that fuzzy elf's face?

"That's okay, Kitty," Kurt laughed it off, any hint of pain wiped from his face. Maybe Kitty was imagining things. "It's the thought that counts. Who wants to help me pummel some aliens?"

"We'll put up the dishes - Kurt it's your birthday, we can do them - and cut some cake," Jean put her hand in Scott's while Kurt dashed to the living room to set up his game console. Kitty and Evan followed.

"You know, I bet he'd really like those flowers and that card," Evan nudged her with his elbow and whispered. Kitty sighed and wandered back towards the bathroom. Maybe it was better than nothing.

She opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out her flowers and card. Maybe they were a little more squished, but they were still presentable. Tentatively she crept back out into the living room, gift in hand.

"Let me run and get the other controller from your room," Evan was saying to Kurt as Kitty walked into the living room. The boy ran upstairs. The girl took a deep breath.

"Kurt, I..." She stuck out both hands, brandishing the bouquet and card when Kurt turned around to look at her. "I... um... actually did get you, like, a gift, but... you know, just flowers and paper and... you know... here."

The boy's eyes lit up like a starlit sky as he beamed. Kitty was slightly taken aback - it looked as though a glow had suddenly made its way into the boy's skin and that he might start hovering off the ground at any time.

"Kitty, they're beautiful!" He took them from her eagerly and held them to his nose. "Did you get a chance to smell them? It's great!"

He shoved the flowers towards Kitty's face and she inhaled timidly. They _were_ nicely scented.

"Yeah, they smell wonder -" the girl started.

"Kitty, darling, please accept this birthday cake as a symbol of my love," the two turned around at Scott's slightly higher pitched voice. The boy was grinning widely, leaning against the doorframe.

"Oh, Kurt, you have such a way with _pastry_," Jean pretended to swoon as she took a plate of cake from Scott's hands.

"Shut _up_ guys," Kurt chuckled as his friends broke into giggles. He walked to a nearby bookshelf and plucked an empty vase from it. "She's like one of my best friends now."

Kitty blushed and tried to hide behind her hair as she sat down on the couch. _Yes, best friends_, she thought. But that still didn't explain the pang in heart when she heard those words. And when she felt the pang in her heart at those words, the elusive Shadowcat finally admitted to herself that maybe, just _maybe_ she had the tiniest bit of a crush on Kurt Wagner.

* * *

This is what Kitty was thinking about when she checked the mail that Saturday night, bruised and battered from Friday's Fight Night - the last one before a select few were sent special invitations to the main event. She was bruised, battered, and nearly every muscle in her body was sore. But she had fought her hardest. And she hoped with every fiber of her being that she would get the chance to earn the money she needed.

Still, her hands had trembled when she stared at the black envelope in her hands. It was sealed formally, with wax that had the shape of a little helmet pressed into it.

It was Erik "Magneto" Lehnsherr's call of recognition.

She'd been summoned to The Apocalypse.

Not too long ago, she would've opened the letter alone, in her room with door closed and not mentioned it to anyone. But over the past few months, she had become closer and closer to that idiot who was giving her little brother free gymnastics lessons every week - her ridiculous fuzzy elf. So against her better judgment, she had called him over and asked if she wanted to have some ice cream.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Kurt eyed the black envelope in her hands.

"Uh... Maybe later. I wouldn't want to, like, ruin the, uh, anticipation," Kitty cursed herself silently as she shoved the invitation into her jacket pocket. That hadn't even made sense. She didn't want to admit it, but she was excited. But nervous.

"Oh. Well, then, a celebratory ice cream sundae for your imminent victory," the blue-haired boy said obliviously as a bald man in a wheelchair rolled over with a tray laden with sweets. "Thanks Mr. Xavier!"

"You're quite welcome, Kurt," Charles Xavier smiled gently at the two teens as he placed the tray on the table. "And it's wonderful to see you again, Kitty. It has been a rather long time."

"Yes, Professor," Kitty tugged nervously at her shirt collar. Of course Kurt would want to come to this ice cream parlor. The most flavors and the best service. It had to be. It belonged to her father figure. "It's, like, great to see you again. I've been... busy."

"I'm sure," the Professor gave her a knowing look.

"Mr. Xavier, you never told me you were a professor!" Kurt said through a mouthful of banana and chocolate ice cream.

"It was a long time ago, son," the older man smiled and rolled back to the counter where some other customers were lining up. "If you'll excuse me."

The two friends sat in complacent silence for a few minutes, shoveling ice cream into their mouths. Then, over an accidental duel for the same piece of banana, their spoons clanked together. Golden eyes met blue ones with a teasing challenge and they wrestled over the morsel until they were laughing too hard to concentrate and decided to split it.

"I love this town," Kurt swallowed a spoonful of ice cream and shook his head, smiling. "It's been great... being here."

Kitty pressed her spoon to her lips and furrowed her eyebrows.

"You realize that no one has ever said that in the history of, like, ever, right?" She pointed her spoon at him and cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. But... Before I moved here, I had no family, and no one besides Amanda," Kurt jutted his bottom lip out and looked upward pensively. "And then all of a sudden I had my runaway sister and long lost uncle back. I met Scott and Jean and Evan. And I got to meet you."

Kitty's heart skipped a beat. She tried her best to ignore it.

"I mean, when my parents died... Haha, I mean, I lived with my aunt and uncle my entire life in Germany, but it was nice knowing they were... somewhere out there, before their plane crashed," he chewed on a maraschino cherry thoughtfully, and Kitty stared at him intently. She'd never thought about why he lived with his uncle. "And when I was thirteen, Anna Marie ran off to America with that stupid boyfriend of hers. But when my parents died, Margali - that's my aunt - thought it would be good to have my sister back, and by that time she'd moved in with Uncle Logan. So I hopped on a plane and I moved here."

He ended with a shrug and attacked the chocolate sprinkles that were floating in their melted treat. Kitty narrowed her blue eyes and tilted her head to the side. Maybe there was more to her friend than she thought there was. True, he'd probably come to this godforsaken town in a first class seat on a plane, but his family sounded as dysfunctional as anyone who had lived in Bayville.

"So what about you?"

"Huh?" Kurt's voice snapped Kitty out of her daze. "What about me?"

"Why exactly do you want to get out of this town so badly?"

"Who doesn't want to leave this crummy place?" Kitty replied, but Kurt knew her too well now. She was trying to avoid the question, but he wasn't having any of that this time.

"Oh, c'mon, Keety," he whined, trying to lighten the mood by slipping back into his German accent. She always seemed to laugh at his jokes when he did that. "I told you all about my tortured past." He always made uncomfortable situations into a joke. He couldn't help it.

"I don't think so, fuzzy elf," the brunette scowled. And adorably so, in his opinion.

"Keeeeetyyyyyyy," Kurt pouted and batted his eyelashes. He didn't really expect her to tell him, but he'd at least like to get her to laugh.

And then, against all odds, he saw a soft, thoughtful expression grace the face of his closest female friend. A little like the way she looked at Bobby, but a little... a little different. And it made the heat slowly creep to his cheeks.

"When I was ten, I became a ward of the state. I was put into foster care, with Bobby and Tabitha. Bobby was just a baby, but Tabitha was almost out of high school. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but Tabitha has been a real mother to me. She was the one who first taught me how to fight. She sort of had to."

Kitty paused for a moment, bitterly reminiscing on a part of her past that she preferred to keep hidden away. Kurt stayed quiet, and listened.

"She was younger than me when she started in on Fight Nights. Like way younger. I think it had something to do with her dad, before he got locked up. Our foster dad... wasn't the nicest. Sure, he had a nice place, but it was obvious the bastard was only keeping us for the money. He'd hit us, if we didn't follow his rules. He said children like us weren't just dangerous - we were uncontrollable. And if he had to beat the law into us, he would.

"So Tabitha had to teach me how to fight. She was going to be kicked out of the system in just a year. I was just a kid, but she taught me to be fast and watchful. Until the day she left, she took care of him for us. But then the system deemed her an adult and little eleven year old me had to protect seven-year-old Bobby. She promised to come back for us, but she was only eighteen. She could hardly take care of herself without money.

"The first few times our foster dad came after us with the belt, I wasn't quick enough, but Bobby knew to run to our room, lock the door, and not come out, no matter what. Later, I was faster. I'd get in a quick punch, or a kick, and I'd slip through that bastard's grip and into our room. And we'd stay there until he left for work.

"That's how it was for three years. But when I was fourteen, Tabitha kept her promise. She came back for us. The second she'd turned twenty-one, she filed to adopt us. And against all odds, the papers went through and the all three of us were free. Or so I thought. Like any story would be that easy.

"It turns out Tabitha was doing jobs for The Brotherhood - that's the biggest petty gang in town -in order to make enough money to convince the adoption agency she was capable of caring for the two of us. And it was taking its toll on her.

"Do you know what Tabitha's ring name is?"

Kurt shook his head, still silent.

"Boom Boom. She's a brass knuckle fighter, and I hear if she gets in into her head that you deserve to be hit, it hurts so much it's like your entire world is exploding. At first The Brotherhood started her off as a thief. But when they found out who she used to be, when her dad was still around, it was all over. They wanted her to really hurt people. Anyone they picked. And Tabitha couldn't do it. She won't ever hurt anyone that can't defend themselves.

"But, see, the crummiest thing about The Brotherhood is that they believe if you're not with them, you're against them. You can either join them, or fund them - pay for their protection. But if you join and then decide to leave... Well, there's an exit fee, and it's not cheap."

Kitty grimaced, clenching and unclenching her fists. She inhaled deeply, gripped the edge of the diner table, and leaned in closer to Kurt, her voice becoming a deadly whisper.

"I will not let Tabitha get hurt ever again. She's given everything for me and for Bobby, and now it's my turn to get us out of this mess. I'll pay off her exit fee, and the second that's done, we're leaving this godforsaken town. No more Brotherhood, no more debts, and no more fighting. That's why I want to get out of this town."

Kurt stared, surprised that his normally quiet friend had actually let him know this much about her. He saw her jump back and cringe, and he had an overwhelming urge to comfort her.

"I just want what, like, anyone wants," the brown-haired girl shrugged, back to her calm, unrevealing self. "A better life."

"Well isn't that sweet," a bitingly sarcastic voice rang out from the store's entrance.

Kurt spun around to see a lanky, white-haired boy standing with another guy he'd seen with Kitty in the cafeteria.

"Look at that, boss. Seems like your kitty cat's already been chased up a tree."

Pietro Maximoff smirked unpleasantly at the pair as he elbowed Lance in the ribs. He glanced to the side and saw that the leader of The Brotherhood had his fists clenched and was shaking with anger. How cute. He really did care about this girl.

"Since when did you develop a sweet tooth, _Pietro_?" Kitty spat, standing and slamming her palms to the table.

"Tsk tsk tsk, don't get so wound up, pretty Kitty," the white-haired boy reached into his jacket pocket and held a black envelope between two fingers. "Me and the boys got our summons, and it looks like you did too."

Kurt eyed the three cautiously and didn't fail to notice that the ice cream shop had cleared out rather quickly after the two boys entered the store.

"Kitty, I _told_ you I wanted to _protect_ you!" Lance slammed his foot to the ground so hard the building seemed to quake and cracks started to travel across the tile. "Do you know how dangerous this tournament is?"

"Oh, don't worry, boss I'm _sure_ her new boyfriend can protect her," the smirking teen turned his icy blue gaze to Kurt, and it sent chills down his spine. "C'mon, blue boy. How long do you think you could last in a Fight Night?"

"I don't know, but you look a lot smaller than the last guy I duked it out with trying to protect someone I cared about, string bean," Kurt laughed it off, attempting to step in front of Kitty and usher them both out the door.

"Leave Kurt out of this!" Kitty rushed Pietro and threw a punch, but he was too quick. He caught her wrist and held it tight.

"Ah, ah, ah," the speedster wagged a finger in her face. "No fighting other invitees of The Apocalypse once you get your invitation. Better watch your temper, pretty Kitty. It'll get you in trouble one day."

Lance growled and seized Pietro's shoulder, shoving him so hard he had to release Kitty's wrist to regain his balance.

"Gee, boss, just trying to give your housecat a warning," Pietro held up his hands, palms outward and feigning innocence. "We _all _know how strict they are this time of year. But anyway, I'm sure with two big, _strong_ boys caring for her, pretty Kitty will be _fine_." He pouted his lips and placed a forefinger on his chin, looking innocently at a nervously grinning Kurt and a snarling Lance. "Besides, her first opponent is out of commission."

"What?" Kitty squeaked in a panicked voice, and ripped open the envelope she'd placed in her pocket. A thick piece of decorated cardstock inside it read "Toad". "I just saw him yesterday!"

"Todd had a little accident trying to do something for Pietro," Lance shoved his hands in his pockets and glowered at his second in command, who shrugged nonchalantly. He pursed his lips and looked hopefully at Kitty. "But that means you still have an extra day to decide. People drop out sometimes, it's not a bad thing. You can still be _safe_, Kitty. Otherwise -"

"Otherwise, it looks like you're missing warm ups, pretty Kitty," Pietro cocked his head to the side and flashed a cocky grin. "Unless you want to fight a guy who broke his legs trying to set up the satellite TV."

Kurt was confused, but he knew something was going very, _very_ wrong. His normally calm friend had her eyes open wide in panic and a hand over her mouth. Was she worried about not fighting? Who were these two guys? Pietro? "Boss"? Kitty looked like she was about to cry.

Suddenly whatever thing inside Kurt that made him want to turn everything into a joke faded. These two were obviously out to hurt Kitty, and that was something he wasn't going to stand for. He clenched his fists. Maybe he wasn't a fighter. But he could... He could...

"Lance, Pietro, that's enough," Kurt snapped back into reality at the sound of an adult's voice. Mr. Xavier wheeled his chair over to the group and sternly chastised them. "I thought I had made it clear that none of this Brotherhood nonsense would make trouble for the people I serve here."

Lance nodded once and kept his gaze towards the ground, while Pietro grimaced petulantly, his arms crossed. Kurt stared, still confused. These two gang members - Brotherhood members - were afraid of an old man in a wheelchair?

"Sorry, _Professor_, we thought we'd come by and talk," Pietro casually sauntered to the door as quickly as possible.

"If _talking_ is what you boys come here for, you are more than welcome to return," Mr. Xavier frowned and clasped his hands together. "But until that time, my warning still remains intact. Please, do not return until then."

With a derisive snort, Pietro shoved open the door. Lance spared one last look at Kitty and followed suit. The bells above the exit chimed, and the next few moments were filled with an uncomfortable silence.

"Kurt, Kitty, are the two of you all right?" Mr. Xavier looked up at the two teenagers.

"Just... kind of confused. That all happened kind of fast," Kurt murmured and placed a gentle hand on Kitty's shoulder. "I'm more worried about you."

"I'm fine," Kitty closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "Just a lot to deal with in one night."

If only good things were meant to last.

_Author's Note:_ _It is with the heaviest of hearts with which I inform you that I am neither the creative owner of Marvel's X-Men, nor am I one of Marvel's X-Men myself. However, I do hope that you enjoyed the second chapter of Riff Raff. If y'all notice any inconsistencies or have any suggestions, feel free to point them out. Did you notice some lines from the series come into play?_

_Alas, I have been kept away from this story with other projects. (Mostly those of the academic sort. But some fun stuff too.) My apologies if the writing seems to be a bit less... "flowy" than it was before. I'm trying to get back into the storyline and reading the notes I wrote down several months ago. I hope to be able to finish this out. "Finish an entire work to get better" and all that jazz._

_For those of you waiting for an update on Charlie, I hope to get that up soon as well. Kurt and Kitty's child raising adventures are not over yet._

_Best,_

_MebbeSumday _


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